East of Salida the valley narrows and the county roads climb onto benches where the wind has an opinion about everything. Elevations Excavation LLC plows the long drives up there — the ones that go from pavement to gravel to two ruts and a cattle guard — along with lots and turnarounds down in town. Deep snow gets pushed, packed snow gets scraped, and the banks are set back far enough that the next storm has somewhere to go. Getting a place unstuck before the sun clears the ridge is worth the early alarm. Snow removal covers Salida, Poncha Springs, Howard, Coaldale and the roads between.